By Faten Omar

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a workshop on Monday, to discuss the issue of combating terrorist financing, held at Four Points Hotel in Kuwait. The two-day workshop saw the participation of experts from the delegations of representatives of the member states at the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC).

Ambassador Hamad Al-Mashaan

Assistant Foreign Minister for Development Affairs and International Cooperation Ambassador, Hamad Al-Mashaan shed light on the issues related to virtual currencies and their exploitation in terrorist financing operations, affirming that the workshop is a testament to the commitment of Kuwait to be a pioneer in the field of combating terrorism and drying up the sources of terrorism financing.

He recalled the effective role of Kuwait in combating terrorism and its financing, whether in joint international efforts or through regional meetings, adding that, "Kuwait is keen to monitor even the charities, in which the payment processes are passed, to be filtered until it reaches the last beneficiary."

Mashaan revealed that the UN Security Council Ombudsman Secretary, Richard Malanjum, will arrive in Kuwait in mid-October, where efforts will be made to delist the names of several Kuwaiti citizens from the UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions list.

"Malanjum will come to discuss with Kuwaiti officials, the process of removing the names of nationals from the UNSC terrorism list after they successfully pass a foreign ministry-approved rehabilitation program. He will meet with one of the five listed citizens daily, in the presence of a translator from their side without the intervention of Kuwait. After two months, a final report on the listed people will be submitted to the Security Council to be voted on," he added.

He noted that three Kuwaitis and two bedoons were enrolled in a one-year qualification program with Kuwait, considered as one of the only countries that guarantee its listed nationals, where the Kuwait Minister of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to the 15 foreign ministers in the Security Council to affirm Kuwait's guarantee of the program's effectiveness.

Mashaan stated "Despite the challenges faced by the international community during the pandemic, the center continues to work on implementing many listings of entities and individuals involved in terrorist financing operations. In addition to this, efforts are also taken to identify the risk factors, while achieving a road map in the exchange of information and work on capacity building and coordinating the efforts of member states in combating terrorism and its financing." The Terrorist Financing Targeting Center was established in 2017 as a cooperative approach to confront threats and variables arising from terrorism financing.